Lore

A half-breed born from the union between dragon and human, Shyvana searched all her life for belonging. Persecution forged her into a brutal warrior, and those who dare stand against Shyvana face the fiery beast lurking just beneath her skin.

Dragonkind considered Shyvana's impure blood an abomination, and she spent her youth pursued relentlessly by one cruel drake. Constantly on the run, she and her father, an outcast dragon, never knew a lasting home. A brutal reflection of countless battles, Shyvana grew hateful and savage. After years of strife, her father finally fell to the other dragon, but not before gravely wounding his foe. Furious with grief, Shyvana pursued her father’s murderer as he fled north to recover. There she encountered a group of humans on the trail of the same drake. Though the men looked upon her in fear, their leader approached Shyvana peacefully. He introduced himself as Jarvan IV, the Prince of Demacia, and offered to aid Shyvana in her quest for vengeance. Together they hunted down and confronted the vicious dragon that had slain her father. Shyvana did not expect the men to survive, but in the clash of fire and steel, Jarvan and his men fought with strength she had never believed humans to possess. The ironclad warriors drove their foe into submission, and Shyvana struck the final blow, tearing the beast's heart from its body. Inspired by her ferocity, Jarvan offered her a place in the ranks of his elite guard. Shyvana could still see fear in the eyes of his men, but she longed for a true home. Trusting Jarvan's word, she accepted his offer and now serves as a Demacian warrior. Though her human allies admire her power, they keep their distance. Shyvana strives to repay the prince’s kindness with the power of the dragon within, but she cannot help but wonder if the humans are right to fear her.

Champion Sneak Peek

Shyvana's Comic

Announcement made by Average Gatsby:

Eventually everyone has one of those moments where life throws them a curve ball and they learn that you sometimes meet people who are full of surprises. So, when we first ran into Shyvana, the Half-Dragon, suffice to say we were rather taken aback indeed when we saw her actually transform into a dragon.

So unless you're a truly incorrigible herpetophobic, we're confident that you'll find that not all surprises have to be unpleasant.

Shyvana Mechanics Preview

Announcement made in the Mechanics Preview by Average Gatsby:

For this mechanics preview, we wanted to focus less on the individual abilities of our upcoming champion and talk about the skillset and character flow of Shyvana, the Half Dragon, as a whole.

Shyvana is a melee champion that heavily rewards aggression. She does so by utilizing a modified Fury* resource that accrues anytime Shyvana lands an auto-attack. Once her Fury* is full, she can unleash it to transform into a dragon, giving her substantial buffs, ability enhancements and some upfront damage. While in dragon form, Shyvana's Fury* is slowly consumed, though she can continue auto-attacking to extend the duration of the Dragon From and maximize her damage output with each use.

It's also worth mentioning that Shyvana's ultimate has no cooldown, but can only be used when her reserve of Fury* is full. The right set of circumstances can allow a skilled player to transform much more often than other would otherwise be possible.

In addition, all of Shyvana's abilities also have benefits that trigger when she auto-attacks. This is to differentiate her from the "melee caster" paradigm embodied by some other characters, making her play somewhere between an Attack Damage carry and a fighter.

Simply put, Shyvana is for players who like any of the following:

Offensive, aggressive playstyles

Melee carries or fighters

The idea of being a super-rad dragon

We think this wantonly aggressive playstyle is something we haven't seen previously on the Fields of Justice. It's an exciting opportunity for players to experience a new way to play League of Legends.

Note: Fury was originally mislabeled as "Dragon’s Blood".

Previous Lore

Half-Dragons are the forbidden scions of humans and shape-shifting dragons. There have been few in the world, as they are typically hunted down by their draconian relatives. The scarce and reclusive dragons left on Runeterra find it disgusting to mix their blood with the frivolous and violent lesser races. However, there are those who become fascinated with humans, such as Shyvana's father. It was to Prince Jarvan IV's surprise when his hunt led him to a legendary young half-dragon. She wept over the dead, mutilated corpse of her father, murdered for her existence. Something in Jarvan was moved by Shyvana's plight. Together they plotted revenge against the mighty dragon responsible. The assault cost the Demacian Prince many men, and nearly his life, but ultimately Shyvana and he prevailed.

The experience changed the both of them. Shyvana lost her place in the world, left alone to be hunted by those dragons who discovered her existence. Because of what he'd seen, Jarvan lost his taste for the hunt and wished to return home as protector of his people. Jarvan IV, as Crown Prince of Demacia, offered Shyvana a place as a noble warrior in the ranks of the elite guard. Out of gratitude and necessity, she accepted. Since their return to Demacia, Shyvana has proven herself to be a fierce and powerful soldier. She blends her fiery draconian blood with her adopted principles of justice. She revels in the power she now feels in the human world and there are few who do not quake before her in combat. However, by and large there remains only one place for glorious battle. When Jarvan joined the League of Legends, it wasn't long before Shyvana answered the call as well.

"I have the blood of dragons in my veins. I am fear to all who oppose me."

― Shyvana

There are those few dragons in Runeterra who have mastered the intense magical energies that course through their unique anatomies, evolving into an elusive Celestial Dragon. These powerful and enigmatic creatures spend most of their time hidden away from the lands of men. However, there are those who find themselves drawn to civilization and who take on human forms to immerse themselves in the world of humans. Occasionally, one finds itself drawn to the spirit of a human and they have relations. Sometimes, in the slimmest of odds, the union will bear fruit and that offspring will be one of the few half-dragons to have graced Runeterra. Shyvana is one such creature, born to a simple Demacian farm-girl and her Celestial Dragon father. Left to be raised by her mother, her oddities were something that couldn't be hidden from her community, though she was protected by her family. Once her family had perished in disaster, she was left alone for the first time - truly alone. Shyvana quickly became an outsider and it wasn't long before the community's fear began to put her in danger. Facing mortal danger at the business end of an angry mob, she was rescued by the traveling noble, Jarvan Lightshield. The noble was a man who strangely knew exactly what she was and took her under his wing. It wasn't long before she was offered a chance to use her natural skills in the service of Demacia, as Jarvan initiated her as one of the elite guard. Following Jarvan into the League of Legends was only natural.

Shyvana is a fierce warrior, with the blood of one of the most powerful magical predators in all creation flowing through her veins. Unlike some of her fellows, she is a subdued personality - somber, cool, and collected. However, when the moment strikes, her draconian heritage manifests and there are few that can stare her in the eyes and not feel the primal urge to flee.